The present invention relates to an electronic imaging apparatus and, more particularly, to an electronic imaging apparatus capable of transmission of the image data thereby.
There have been developed an image information storing or recording apparatus, and/or, retrieving or reproducing apparatus, such as an electronic still camera or an electronic image data filing apparatus for storing or retrieving image data on or from an applied storage device or medium. Digital still cameras or electronic still cameras, DSC or SMC, (called DSC hereinafter) of conventional type generally employ solidstate electronic imaging devices, such as CCD imagers, for photoelectric conversion to obtain a picture signal corresponding to objects intended to be picked-up, photographed. The picture signal issued from the imaging device is processed by the conventional process circuit for processing so as to obtain a video or TV signal of the fashion adaptive to be recorded or stored, and the processed signal is converted into the digital form representative of the image information intended. In the mentioned cameras, the image information is represented and conveyed in the form of digital data, and the data is stored on a semiconductor memory card as the storage device or medium applied.
The electronic imaging apparatus such as various DSC is available as commercial products for various applications. In such a DSC, a great number of still pictures or image data are stored or recorded in the form of a data file in the storage media such as memory cards or floppy disks. Therefore, the image data retrieval property determines the commercial value or utility value of the DSC.
A system for the transmission of the image information obtained by such an electronic imaging apparatus and the transmission and receipt of the information between the apparatus and the other apparatus is useful for effective communication. However, there has been no system capable of performing a such function with a simple structure.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image information storing means for storing image information represented by the image signal issued from the image pick-up means, a format of a signal to be stored being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, communication means for transmitting and/or receiving image information generated in this apparatus or the other equivalent apparatuses while an operation mode of the apparatus is set for communication, and switch means for causing the communication means to start a communication mode operation.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image information storing means for storing image information represented by the image signal issued from the image pick-up means, a format of a signal to be stored being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, communication means for transmitting and/or receiving image information, the communication means capable of permitting information communication with one of a plurality of different external devices connected to this apparatus via predetermined connection means, and interface recognition means for recognizing and causing the interface to function in a status appropriate to the external device connected via the connector means, on the basis of a recognition for a functioning status of the interface to be applied.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them on an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image information storing means for storing image information represented by the image signal issued from the image pick-up means, a format of a signal to be stored being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, and play-back means for playing-back an image once photoelectrically converted by the image pick-up means to an image signal or further converted to a corresponding image data appropriate to the applied storage device, on the basis of an operation of a specific operating switch or section which is usually used for a different purpose for a photographing operation.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them on an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image information storing means for storing image information represented by the image signal issued from the image pick-up means, a format of a signal to be stored being dependent upon a type of the supplied storage device, external commands receiving means for receiving various commands from an external device connected therewith via a transmission channel, and executing means for carrying out operations corresponding to the commands received via the external commands receiving means.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an analog image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image data generating means for generating digital image data corresponding to the image signal outputted from the image pick-up means, a format of the digital image data being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, data storing means for storing the image data on the applied storage device in the form of a file organized by a directory or a subdirectory supported by a disk operating system, and erase operation mode setting means for selectively setting an operation mode of erase operation to be carried out for the applied stored device, the operation mode set thereupon to be selected from a plurality of erasing operation modes provided in advance for this apparatus.
According to further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an analog image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image data generating means for generating digital image data corresponding to the image signal outputted from the image pick-up means, a format of the digital image data being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, data storing means for storing the image data on the applied storage device in the form of a file organized by a directory or a subdirectory supported by a disk operating system, and erase operation commencing means for commencing an erasing operation for the applied storage device in response to an operation to a trigger switch means for photographing while a erase operation mode is set.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an analog image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image data generating means for generating digital image data corresponding to the image signal outputted from the image pick-up means, a format of the digital image data being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, data storing means for storing the image data on the applied storage device in the form of a file organized by a directory or a sub-directory supported by a disk operating system, and formatting operation commencing means for commencing a formatting operation for the applied storage device in response to an operation to an erase operation switch means provided on this apparatus.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them on an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image information storing means for storing image information represented by the image signal issued from the image pick-up means, a format of a signal to be stored being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, communication means for transmitting and/or receiving information signal via a network connected therewith, and power source control means for automatically making a power source circuit of this apparatus to be ready for supply power, in response to a reception of a call signal of the information signal received via the communication means.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an analog image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image data generating means for generating digital image data corresponding to the image signal outputted from the image pick-up means, a format of the digital image data being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, data storing means for storing the image data on the applied storage device in the form of a file organized by a directory or sub-directory supported by a disk operating system, communication means for transmitting and/or receiving image data or further subsidiary data via a transmission channel connected therewith, and preceding transmission means for transmitting-data for the directory and/or the subsidiary data relating to a transmission of image information itself, when a transmitting operation mode is set.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an analog image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image data generating means for generating digital image data corresponding to the image signal outputted from the image pick-up means, a format of the digital image data being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, data storing means for storing the image data on the applied storage device in the form of a file organized by a directory or a sub-directory supported by a disk operating system, communication means for transmitting and/or receiving image data or further subsidiary data via a transmission channel connected therewith, and preceding transmission means for transmitting data representative of a capacity reservable for receiving an image data, to a sender side device, in anticipation for the reception when a receiving operation mode is set.
According to a further aspect-of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them on an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image information storing means for storing image information represented by the image signal issued from the image pick-up means, a format of a signal to be stored being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, communication means for transmitting and/or receiving information signal via a network connected therewith, and power source control means for executing a power off process for turning off a power source circuit when a communication with the other party fails to be held in a predetermined period of time.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adapter device applicable to an electronic imaging apparatus which comprises image pick-up means for obtaining an image signal by photoelectrically conversion, image data storing means for storing image data representative of the image on an applied storage device and communication means for communicating the image data to the other party via transmission channel connected therewith, the adapter device comprising, first interface means for communication with the electronic imaging apparatus, second interface means for communication via the transmission channel through a modem connected inbetweeen, and control means for establishing a transmission channel for image data communication via the second interface means by designating the other party on the basis of a user""s operation to operation keys or sections thereof and for controlling the image data communication for the electronic imaging apparatus via the first and second interface means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for storing image data in the form of image data files allocated in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, dummy data adding means for adding dummy data on an image data to be stored, the dummy data of an amount corresponding to a remained capacity of a file which has a uniform capacity previously defined, an administrative uniformity of file size is maintained thereby.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic imaging apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising, image pick-up means for generating and outputting an analog image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, image data generating means for generating digital image data corresponding to the image signal outputted from the image pick-up means, a format of the digital image data being dependent upon a type of the applied storage device, data storing means for storing the image data on the applied storage device in the form of a file organized by a directory or a sub-directory supported by a disk operating system, and frame number representing means for representing a successive frame number for respective images picked-up by the image pick-up means, on the basis of a position of a designated file in the directory.
Other objects and features will be clarified from the following description with reference to the attached drawings.